Normal Blood Sugar Levels and the HbA1c Blood Test
Blood sugar targets are given at the end of this article, but first, an explanatory comment about sugars and blood sugars
There are many forms of sugar available in nature, they are all composed of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen atoms, and from those elements, sugars derive the name carbohydrates. Sugars vary in complexity based on their molecular structure, the simple sugars are made up of just one molecule or sometimes just a few molecules linked together. The more complex sugars can be thought of as longer chains of linked molecules.
The simple sugar, called glucose, exists in the bodies of all people quite naturally. Glucose is a simple sugar because it can exist as a single carbohydrate molecule, sometimes called a monosaccharide, although in actuality, the amount of glucose we are concerned with in the body amounts to many millions of monosaccharide molecules.
The foods that are eaten each day are the source of the sugar in the bloodstream and that sugar is essential for the cells of the body to use as fuel to carry out activities involving many other processes that keep the body functioning. Foods contain nutrients — categorized variously as proteins, fats and carbohydrates and it is mainly the carbohydrate content from which the sugars in the blood are derived. For more on carbohydrates, check out: Type-2 Diabetes and Carbohydrates.
Normal blood sugar levels fluctuate throughout the day, depending partly on food intake and physical exertion of the individual. But such fluctuations are controlled mainly by organ systems in the body that maintain them within a specific range. A process akin to homeostasis, a process in which internal equilibrium is achieved by the body’s ability to adjust the various physiological components.
When diabetes occurs
Diabetes is a disease in which an individual’s body-mechanisms that normally keep the blood sugar levels within the given and healthy range, become impaired. This can be for any of several reasons but especially related to the production of a hormone called insulin, produced by an organ of the body called the pancreas. In some cases of diabetes the pancreas produces insufficient insulin and in others the cells of the body become resistant to the insulin produced. And sometimes there is a combination of both of those reasons. It is a complicated process.
There are 3 main forms of diabetes:
1. Type-1 that occurs mostly in children and in younger adults.
2. Type-2, the most common form of diabetes affecting more than 90 percent of all diabetics, and
3. Gestational Diabetes, a temporary form occurring in a small percentage of women during their pregnancy that usually ends when their baby is born. Follow this link for more on Gestational Diabetes and Blood Glucose.
Blood tests, self-administered and the clinical HbA1c blood test
The control of the diabetic condition, revolving around the need to bring the blood sugar levels to as close to normal as possible, is a governing factor in the life of a person with diabetes. To control and manage diabetes usually depends on the individual’s diet, exercise, and in some cases, daily diabetes prescription medications or possibly insulin injections.
It is essential for that person to know how well they are coping and managing their diabetes and to do that it is necessary to have periodic blood tests. This is done usually in two ways:
1. A daily self-administered blood test taken with the aid of a simple hand-held measuring device that provides a measure of the blood sugars in a very small drop of blood obtained from the end of a finger by the use of a small lancet pricking device. This self-administered blood test is usually taken in the morning before breakfast, called an overnight fasting test, and then again perhaps, at one or more times later in the day and evening.
The result obtained by the glucose meter is expressed in milligrams per deciliter, (mg/dL). Those are the units of measure used in the United States, but most of the rest of the world uses a somewhat different unit called the millimol, that alternate measurement system is also given here to keep everyone informed. Just to re-state that, it is millimols per liter (mmol/L) in most countries other than the United States.
2. An HbA1c blood test, commonly referred to as A1c for short and also called glycated or glycosalated hemoglobin test. This test is requisitioned by the diabetic patient’s doctor and is usually performed either 2 times or 4 times each year. The results obtained from this test show how well a patient’s blood sugars have been controlled over the past 3 months approximately. See below for the target levels.
The HbA1c test is a clinically administered blood test in which a nurse or technician draws a small sample of blood from a vein, usually from the arm, and the blood obtained is then analyzed by a laboratory. At the same time, using the same blood sample, other blood components in addition to the glucose factor are analyzed and reported. The HbA1c test measures the number of hemoglobin molecules that have glucose molecules attached to them and is reported as a percentage.
Normal and target blood test levels
HbA1c for the non-diabetic
normal blood sugar levels are approximately 4 to 6 percent, equal to about 68 to 125 mg/dL (3.8 to 7 mmol/L) of glucose in the blood
HbA1c for the diabetic
the target range is less than 7, equal to about 154 mg/dL (8.6 mmol/L) of glucose in the blood
Self-administered blood test for the person with diabetes
the target ranges are:
Before meals, 72 to 126 mg.dL (4 to 7 mmol/L)
2 hours after meals, 90 to 180 mg/dL (5 to 10 mmols/L).
Note: the above values are those accepted in the United States, but target values for other countries do vary somewhat. But those given are sufficient to understand the principles and the targets faced by diabetics everywhere.
Lower than normal blood sugar levels can occur also
While diabetes is a disease of higher than normal blood sugar levels, it must be noted that there is also a condition where lower than normal blood sugars can occur, medically known as Hypoglycemia, that can lead to very serious consequences. For more on that topic, check out Diabetes and Hypoglycemia.
In conclusion
There is no cure for diabetes, the best that can be expected is to gain control of the condition, to maintain the glucose levels within the safest range. Commentary on that can be found at the Need to Achieve Lower Blood Sugar Levels.
[...] a much more detailed explanation of diabetes and this particular topic, visit Blood Sugars and Blood Tests. And a much wider range of diabetes subject matter can also be found, with a List of Topics, at [...]